


A little ginger, a little honey

by Areah51



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Rey, F/M, I was sick, It's just cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:39:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areah51/pseuds/Areah51
Summary: Rey is sick, and Ben shows up where he's not wanted, but in the end, we all need someone to take care of us when we're ill.





	A little ginger, a little honey

When she opens the door to reveal Ben, Rey does something she’s never done before. She shrugs, takes a tissue from her pyjama pocket, coughs, and turns around, leaving the door open.

Ben instantly thinks she looks miserable, small and hunched like it’s the 1600s and the flu will take her away anytime soon. He walks in, careful not to touch the handle to close the door – he doesn’t want her germs anywhere on him, he’s very healthy, thank you very much. Turning around, his eyes find her just as she lets herself flop onto the couch like death finally caught up to her.

Ben takes in his surrounding, realising Rey’s flat has never been this messy before. She despises mess, and yet an open jar of honey, a half cut ginger, mugs are scattered all over the open-kitchen counter, the floor is littered with tissues and the overall smell of the flat feels wrong. He walks to the window, opening them wide despises the freezing temperature outside. A weak protest emanates from the burrito-shaped human on the couch, and Ben pays her no mind. He has work to do. Methodically, he bends down and gathers the tissues, the mugs, the half eaten bowl of soup, the cushions, and starts cleaning around Rey’s couch-nest.

“What are you doing here”, she eventually mumbles, getting her head out from under the comforter she’d dragged from her bedroom two days ago when her foggy brain has decided that being on the couch permitted an easier access to the bathroom and the kitchen.

“Finn called”, he says, as if this explains the reason why _he_ is here, after weeks of radio silence. He turns around, eyebrow raised, raising a disgusting looking tissue from the counter, and Rey actually ducks under her comforter, groaning.

“Leave me alone, Ben. I don’t need you seeing what the inside of my dying body looks like”, words muffled from inside the comforter, and Ben smirks. It is disgusting, he’ll admit. But when Finn calls to let you know the love of your life has the flu and needs someone to take care of her while he’s gone, you don’t think twice. You go. Even if, technically, you’re no longer on speaking terms with said love of your life. Haven’t been, really, in many months.

“I was in the neighbourhood”, he lies easily, and Rey scuffs, dragging her head out from under the comforter.

“You’re never in the neighbourhood, you-“, she huffs and shakes her head, “never mind, just close the window, I’m dying here.” She shivers, and Ben knows it’s from the flu, not the cold.

“Your flat smells like germs, I’d be surprised if you healed yourself while being surrounded by exactly what brought you to this couch. We need to clean your flat, get your into the shower, change your sheets-“

“ _We_ need to do nothing. _You_ need to leave and let me suffer in peace”, she orders weakly, moving her legs from under the couch, almost standing up to push him away, towards the door. That’s the sentiment, at least. In reality, her legs barely touch the carpet and Rey actually sighs, knowing there is no way she can muster to force to make him do anything. She cannot even bring herself to banter. Ben crosses the small space from between the counter and the couch, and he sits down next to her, maybe too close, but what can you do.

She’s weak, and ill, and tired, and waited too many months for the anger to linger. It’s there, hidden behind a tissue maybe, but she cannot find it in her heart to be angry anymore. He’s here, and he shouldn’t be, and Rey never wants him to leave again.

“Come on, shower time”, he admonishes softly, and Rey rolls her eyes, knowing she won’t win this battle. She never really wins when it comes to him, anyway.

“I don’t wanna”, she moans, letting her head fall on his shoulder, barely conscious when Ben’s arms instantly snakes around her to give her support. She burrows deeper into his body and feels so much better already.

“You’re not falling asleep on me, Rey”, he’s looking down at her small shivering frame. “Rey, come on, help a guy out here”, he murmurs, and when she shows no sign of responding, Ben utters a louder sigh, grabs Rey’s arm tighter, and moves his other arm so it gathers her legs. He lifts her up, and her arms fall to his chest, clutching his shirt. He walks the few steps to the bathroom and deposits her on top of the closed toilet seat, twisting to turn on the showerhead on a warm-but-not-scalding setting. He turns back to Rey, who’s looking at him with dull eyes, eyes rimmed with red and runny nose. She looks adorable, and Ben’s mouth quirks up a little, despite the situation. Rey sees it, the way Rey sees everything, and she frowns.

“Find something funny?” she tries to challenge, tries to bring fire in her gaze, succeeding only partially because she gets caught in a sneeze, and Ben’s quirk turns into a soft smile, eyes softening.

“Nothing at all. Now come on, shower time”, he encourages her, and Rey carefully stands up, only wobbling.

“I’ll bring you a fresh pair of pyjamas”, he says and exits the bathroom, letting Rey take care of her business.

He gathers the comforter from the couch and drags it to the washing mashing, stripping it and dumping the sheets in the machine, turning it on, before heading to her bedroom, gathering a new sheet and pyjamas – because Ben knows this flat like the back on his hand- and leaves those in the bathroom, noticing Rey’s form from behind the curtain, showering. Unsurprisingly, she isn’t singing, which is her favourite showering pastime, but Ben cannot blame her. She does look very ill. He turns back out, almost closes the door entirely, and busies himself with putting on the fresh pair of sheets on the comforter.

He’s in the middle of putting the last of the mugs in the cupboard, having cleaned them in the sink, when she emerges, towel wrapped around her head and eyes a little clearer. She’s wearing the pyjamas he laid out for her, with little BB-8’s and R2D2 on them, her favourite. She walks around the counter and takes the mug from his hand, walking to her honey, ginger and lemon station. His eyes drift down and he notices she’s also wearing her Chewbacca slippers. Silently, Ben turns to the kettle to hide his smile and turns it on, setting the temperature to 80°c. He knows her well.

She cuts the lemon in small slices and slowly grates pieces of ginger, her back to him. Ben rests his hip on the counter, letting the sound of the water warming up fill in the silence. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands. He wants them on her shoulder, around her body, so he busies them by twisting and wrangling his hands together.

“Thank you”, she finally says. “The shower, I mean”, and Ben decides right then and there he might as well get it over with.

“Finn didn’t say I had to come”. He clears his throat and turns to the kettle, grabbing it, closing the distance between them. He reaches behind her, so much taller, and carefully grabs the mug from her hand. She shrinks away from the counter, backing into his chest, and they both release a sigh. Hers sounds like a strain, while his is release.

Ben deposits the mug and kettle, and cages her with his arm on either side of her.

“I’m sorry”, he says, and Rey looks down, head shaking from side to side.

“No, you don’t have to- we don’t have to do this”, she denies, and Ben raises his hand to grab her chin, raising it so she’s looking at him.

“Yes, Rey, we have to do this”, he says, and Rey releases a deep breath. She smells of mint, and Ben wonders if she brushed her teeth for him. He immediately bans the thought, and as Rey drops her forehead to his chest, turning around fully to face him, his hands gather behind her, holding her close. Her arms are limp against his, but he won’t let it bother him.

“You left me”, she whispers, and he can hear her trying to hold back tears. It’s not the first time he’s made her cry, he knows, but he vows it’ll be the last. He’s cleaned up his act, he’s going to do better by her. She deserves it.

“I’m sorry I did, Rey. I never wanted things to go the way they did, I didn’t know what I was doing, I- I’m sorry”, he repeats again, not knowing what else to say but the truth. “I quit.” He says, and Rey’s head actually snaps back up, looking at him for the first time like she’s actually seeing him.

“You quit?” she asks, and Ben nods. “I couldn’t- I- You’re more important to me than a job, Rey,” he finally lets out, and Rey actually starts to cry.

“Please don’t cry, Rey, I don’t know what to do when you’re like this-”

“I can’t believe you quit on Snoke”, she lets out, shaking her head, this time in disbelief.

Ben shrugs, and pulls Rey closer. She goes willingly, this time, and Ben can feel himself breathing easily for the first time in months. Months it took him to extract himself from the shady business of working in the shadows.

“You’re an asshole”, she says, and Ben chuckles, agreeing with her.

“I’ll get better”, he promises, and Rey nods, believing him, because she cannot live like he doesn’t exist anymore, cannot live knowing he is here, in this world, and not around her always, like he should be.

Ben lets out on last sigh, of contentment this time, and pours the hot water into her mug.

“Let’s cure this flu out of you, so I can kiss you and-“ she doesn’t let him finish his sentence before her lips are on him, and Ben couldn’t care less about germs at this moment, their lips opening up and suddenly she’s there, surrounding his senses, and Ben knows it’s a bad idea, and he swore he’d be a better man, and he needs- she catches his bottom lip between her teeth and Ben lets out an actual groan, brain fogging up with desire, and- she’s sick. He takes it upon himself to force the kiss to slow down, battling with Rey’s apparent desire to burn this apartment building down with heat. How she manages that much enthusiasm when ten minutes ago she was on Death’s door is unknown to him, but he’s glad he stopped when Rey drops on the wall of his chest, snuggling to his heat.

“I want to sleep”, she mumbles, and- that’s more like it.

“I’ve got you”, he whispers, and it sounds like the truth.

For now, she’ll take it.

 


End file.
